A Complete Guide to the Microsoft 2020 Release Wave 1 Plan

28/01/2020

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for; the latest Microsoft release wave 1 updates have finally been announced. The 2020 line-up is here, and you’re in for a treat.

Hundreds of new features and capabilities are in production for both Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform. Apps will be ready and raring to go between April 2020 and September 2020. But if you can’t wait that long, early access for certain feature testing kicks off on 3rd February.

With updates across several platforms and countless apps, Microsoft promises a more powerful and more cohesive system than ever. So, what can users expect to change?

We’ll give you a run-down of everything you need to know about what’s coming in 2020:

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Finance and operations are integral to any CFO or operations manager; and it’s clear from the updates that they’re also a priority to Microsoft. Dynamics 365 Finance is being completely streamlined with automation and predictive analytics at its core, driving efficiency through the roof.

In the operations department, Dynamics 365 Supply Chain Management is getting a multitude of enhancements across the board. Project Service Automation is also replatforming to Common Data Service; immensely expanding its project management capabilities, such as project-planning and task-scheduling,helping you to deliver more successful projects.

Dynamics 365 Marketing is becoming more intuitive, personalised, and simplified. With the new updates your email and outbound campaigns can be easily automated, navigation is streamlined, external apps can be better integrated, and overall customer experience is improved.

But it doesn’t stop there. As the big hitters for customer relations, Sales and Service capabilities are following suit. Improved workflows and simplified experiences are being implemented to help users continually meet customer demands. Key features include a new forecasting solution, an optimised mobile feature, and intelligence and productivity tools. Similarly, Sales Insights is benefitting from more accurate predictions and intelligent data forecasting. Now users can focus on making the sale rather than getting bogged down in admin.

The service range is where it gets really exciting. Customer Service and Field Service are both getting a connected IoT boost. From diagnostics, to alerts, to predictive models, the updates are designed to make your customer engagement more efficient. In keeping with Microsoft’s 2019 and 2020 themes, Service Insights and Remote Assist are also gaining integration with other apps such as Power Virtual Agents and Field Service.

Now for the app on everybody’s mind: Business Central. Microsoft have gone all out, with more feature updates than Ed Sheeran songs played on Radio 1. They’ve been listening to what users want and made changes to sales, purchasing, document layout and more, in response. And remember all those features that make BC unique? Well they’re being totally maximised. Creating advanced screens is easier than ever, the mobile app is getting an optimisation makeover, cloud migration plans are streamlined and simplified, and Power Platform integration is boosted beyond your wildest dreams.

Power Platforms

User experience is a huge focus for Microsoft in this release wave. With Power Apps you can opt in for early access to test new features, giving you a preview of how they may affect your users. Key capabilities include integrating Azure with Microsoft Teams, enhanced mobile capabilities, and better Power App portals.

Improvements made to Power BI all have one thing in mind; empowering data culture. By unifying the platform, investing in big data and AI, and driving intuitive functionality, Microsoft are helping you make data-informed decisions. BI will be a cohesive platform, totally integrated with your other apps, improving visibility exponentially. And with greater visibility comes better decisions. Data analytics with Azure and pervasive AI capabilities will then take you to the next level by encouraging data-driven insights.

AI Builder and Power Automate are centred around the ultimate goal – integration. The increased incorporation of these two apps will make building digital processes that much more efficient – it doesn’t even require coding! Using this pair guarantees your team will reach new heights of productivity. And with the introduction of UI Flows – a new RPA feature – mundane tasks will cease to hold you back.

If you want to know more about the Power Platform updates then click here.

So, say goodbye to time-wasting, throw out reactive practices, and get rid of guesswork. Microsoft has built a user and customer-centric eutopia of apps, making the outlook for 2020 that much brighter.